45 Forward

Originally broadcast 2021-08-02.
As your parents get older, there may come a time when it’s clear they would lead a safer, healthier, and more productive life by transitioning from their current home to an assisted living community. But how do you handle the many issues surrounding such a move? It’s complicated. And emotional. There are lots of choices, and a host of questions.  In this episode, Julie Wexler, who has spent more than 25 years in a variety of eldercare settings, walks us through the process — step by step — of finding the right community for your parents. Julie, the Director of Business Development for The Bristal Assisted Living, spells out the spectrum of housing options, describing different kinds of services, care, amenities, and lifestyle features that individual communities may offer. How do you assemble a list of potential places, and are there professionals and other resources to help you assess the best fit for your parents?  Then there’s the continuing Covid question: What factors should we consider and what questions should we ask about health and safety protocols when we visit prospective communities? Making the transition to assisted living can often be hard on the entire family, but by being proactive and not waiting for a crisis, the move can offer an exceptionally positive experience, creating a new sense of independence, better health and social engagement for our loved ones. Indeed, Julie believes that all seniors, even as the face the physical challenges of aging, deserve to live a full, active, supportive, and meaningful life.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Encore broadcast 2025-01-20. Originally broadcast 2024-08-19.
Ron Roel speaks with genealogist Kerri Tannenbaum of Family Dot Connector about family-history research, documentary records, genealogy resources and working with a professional.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Originally broadcast 2024-08-19.
Ron Roel speaks with genealogist Kerri Tannenbaum of Family Dot Connector about family-history research, documentary records, genealogy resources and working with a professional.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/45-forward--6550893/support.

Originally broadcast 2021-09-13.
When the pandemic shut down most of America last year, the arts and entertainment community was faced with a monumental challenge. How could they survive without attracting in-person audiences to their events? Surely, they could try to create online facsimiles of their events—virtual tours, exhibitions, concerts and performances—but would these activities be dynamic enough to attract broad interest from the public? That’s when Holly Gordon and Waldo Cabrera came up with a provocative new approach to the virtual art show. In today’s episode, Holly and Waldo describe their unique collaborative journey, creating exhibitions featuring artists aged 50 and older at a prominent Long Island museum. Holly, a nationally recognized fine art and documentary photographer, served as curator of these exhibits, which were sponsored by AARP New York. Waldo, an award-winning journalist with years of experience in advertising, marketing and video production, handled the many technical tasks. The resulting presentations are no mere pictures at an exhibition. Together, Holly and Wally tell the story of how they pieced together an assemblage of images, music, graphics, narration and commentary from dozens of artists into a cohesive, entertaining experience. “I’m the composer, Wally is the conductor who interprets the work,” says Holly. Both artists also stress the importance of the arts across the generations. Holly has long been an ardent advocate for older populations. And Waldo regularly bridges the generations through his years of work with film and video productions for children, including 4Kids Entertainment, the company that brought Pokémon to the United States. Indeed, their next exhibit focuses on intergenerational collaboration among artists. “We’re all 6-year-olds,” says Waldo. “We’re using art the same way. It’s entertaining, it has elements of surprise…It’s a roller coaster ride.”
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Originally broadcast 2021-04-12.
Ron Roel speaks with Ed Schwartz about lifelong learning.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Originally broadcast 2023-01-23.
As we get older, it's important to find ways to embrace aging with grace, dignity and positivity. And yes, a little humor, too. In today's episode, Barbara Paskoff and Carol Pack, two long-time friends and former award-winning journalists, offer a host of observations from the latest of their "Over-Sixty: Shades of Gray" series, the "Book of Lists." The duo explains their latest venture—a collection of lists offering practical tips about appearance, relationships, entertainment, health (and a lot more)—but noting that as they entered the second half of life, they realized that time seems to fly really fast, "so getting to the point is more important than ever." We don't want to have to read everything that goes around to support aging, they joke—just give us a list of what to do." Thus, the book of lists was born. In their litany of lists, Barbara and Carol do not shy away from serious subjects, like loneliness, changing relationships and dementia. But they also integrate the lighter side of graying, reassuring us all that we're not alone in the trials that come. And sometimes, they may offer up answers to questions you never knew you had.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Encore broadcast 2023-01-02. Originally broadcast 2022-01-10.
Several years ago, John Leland, a reporter for the New York Times, wrote a series of articles following six men and women for a year, chronicling how people in one of America's fastest growing demographic groups—those 85 and older—led their lives. The series became the basis for his book, "Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year among the Oldest Old," which became a Times bestseller, and, as he wrote in the Times, "No work I have ever done has brought me as much joy and hope, or changed my outlook on life as profoundly." In today's episode, Leland talks about his experiences writing this remarkable, hopeful and often surprising book, and the lessons he learned about our pursuit of happiness. Certainly, the examination of "happiness" in today's frenetic society has become a frequent topic in recent years, the source of best-selling books and wildly popular courses among Harvard and Yale students. But Leland's unique perspective explores what sociologists often point to as the paradox aging: How can people whose bodies and minds are in decline be happier than those in the "prime of life?" He'll explain what happiness means, relating it to a sense of fulfillment and purpose, and how a positive attitude can help contribute to overall health and longevity. As he takes us along his heartfelt journey with these elders, Leland talks about the role of gratitude in fostering happiness; how older people find happiness alongside great pain, hardship and loss; and how to live in the moment—still thinking about living long—but not forever. Leland, who previously dubbed himself a chronic "grumpasaurus," offers a valuable collection of lessons he learned from the oldest old, noting that the good things in life—happiness, purpose, contentment and love—are there all along, whether we're young or old. We just need to choose them.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Originally broadcast 2022-08-15.
Today's episode is the final chapter of a 3-part conversation that I began earlier this summer, focusing on of a terrific book, What Went Right: Lessons from Both Sides of the Teacher's Desk, by co-authors Roberta Israeloff and George McDermott. Roberta was one of my classmates at Syosset High School on Long Island in the late 1960s and has remained a long-time friend. George was our 11th Grade American Lit teacher at Syosset. Roberta, a career writer and author, is currently the Director of the nonprofit Squire Family Foundation, dedicated to encouraging the teaching of philosophy at pre-college levels. And George, a writer and poet, has had several teaching jobs, as well as extensive editorial experience in several business and media fields over several decades. In my last conversation with Roberta and George in July, we elaborated on some of their recollections and perspectives during their earlier teaching experiences, which were detailed in their book. We went on to focus on what's changed (or not) in public education, society and in their own lives, inside and outside the classroom. In today's show, we'll continue our discussion of significant shifts and trends in public education that George and Roberta have observed—some of which have spurred considerable debate, such as the application of more corporate approaches to education…and questions about how much education should be linked to the training of students more specifically for future jobs. We'll take a longer look at the true meaning of lifelong learning. And finally, I'll ask Roberta and George to offer some parting takeaways from their collaborative exploration of education over their lifetimes, what they discovered about themselves in the process, and how we can all continue this conversation that ultimately teaches us to be human.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Originally broadcast 2022-07-18.
Today's 45 Forward episode is Chapter 2 of a unique, 3-part conversation, focusing on of a fascinating book, What Went Right: Lessons from Both Sides of the Teacher's Desk, by the co-authors Roberta Israeloff and George McDermott. Roberta, a long-time friend, was one of my classmates at Syosset High School on Long Island in the late 1960s; George was our 11th Grade American Lit teacher. Roberta, a lifelong writer and author, is currently the Director of the nonprofit Squire Family Foundation, dedicated to encouraging the teaching of philosophy at pre-college levels. And George, now a writer and poet, has had several teaching jobs , as well as extensive editorial experience in several business and media fields over the course of his career. In my first conversation with George on June 13th, we talked about how he and Roberta reconnected after more than 50 years on social media and began a steady correspondence that evolved into a provocative exchange about their perspectives over several decades, from inside and outside the classroom, which ultimately turned into their book, What Went Right—essentially a story of their own "lifelong learning" experiences. Everything from what they've learned about the roles of teachers as instructors and mentors; to the continuous debates over curriculum and standardized testing; to the fundamental questions about how education should prepare young people to be "human"—that is, discerning and productive citizens in a complex, often unpredictable world. George and I talked about his early experiences at Syosset with Roberta, and I shared some of my own recollections of that time, looking back at how things were—not so much with nostalgia, but rather, reflecting on what they meant, given changing perspectives and experiences over the course of a lifetime. Today, we're going to continue the conversation with Roberta, focusing more on what's changed in public education, society and their own lives since Syosset High School. It's a decidedly different spin on the concept of "lifelong learning" as we get older, one of the most important ingredients to healthy aging. It's a story about teaching and learning, but also what we've learned about ourselves.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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Originally broadcast 2022-07-11.
July has always been a pivotal month of the year, the halfway point when we look back at the events of the last six months and look ahead to the potential for the second half. In a way, it's a snapshot of our theme for 45 Forward—looking forward to the second half of life that (hopefully) will be even better than the first. But as we close the books on the first half of 2022, there are lots of worries about our uncertain future, especially the economy. Inflation is the highest level since 1981; we're in shock over gas and food prices and supply chain disruptions; the S & P 500 experienced its worst first-half decline in five decades. Not to mention the troubling impact of the war in Ukraine and continuing questions about the state of COVID, both at home and abroad. Where on earth are we headed? In today's episode, we talk with Michael Hartzman, a Wall Street veteran who specializes in retirement planning, education, elder and estate planning, life insurance and long-term care. Michael is the co-host of a national weekly business podcast, The Lebenthal Report, a business show that keeps investors informed about the current market conditions, opportunities and risks, breaking down today's complex stories into easily understood concepts. Michael will offer insights into how we can continue to face the ongoing anxieties during the next phases of our life—providing the income to meet the expenses of a fulfilling retirement while also putting money aside for the things that keep us up at night: the inevitable "Uh ohs" and the "I didn't see that coming." Ultimately, his goal is to help us create and sustain a low-stress plan for our financial success and security.
An archival conversation from 45 Forward.

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